A Hungarian Hussar

This study of a Hungarian Hussar is one of Carlevarijs' studies known as macchiette, the quick sketches he made with daubs of colour to indicate animated Venetian figures. Carlevarijs first drew the figures on paper, copying them from people he saw in the streets and then transformed them into lively oil sketches, such as this one, which represent a crucial part of his artistic process. Studies such as these would ultimately form part of a Venetian veduta or prospect painting, which is a genre Carlevarijs is generally credited with establishing in the eighteenth century. This figure reappears for example at the far right of the Entrance of the Imperial Ambassador Count Colloredo into the Palazzo Ducale now in the Staatliche Gemäldegalerie, Dresden. Count Giambattista di Colloredo Waldsee (1656-1729) made his solemn Entry, using three elaborate gondolas, one decorated with an allegory of peace between Spain and the Empire (following the war for Sicily and Sardegna of 1718-1725) in 1726.